Sokaogon Chippewa Community News

A Special Evening of Community Bingo and Recycling

By Richard D. Ackley, Jr.
A cold and snowy evening welcomed eager players to the Bingo Hall on November 14th for a chance to get involved with the Annual Recycling Bingo event.

The bingo hall quickly filled to near capacity as participants came for a chance to learn more about why recycling must be part of our lives every day. Tina Van Zile, Environmental Director and organizer of the event, welcomed attendees with a brief overview of how the Environmental Department runs the recycling program and how community members may contribute to the overall cost to maintain its operations.

“Currently we have one small grant for our Recycling Department, which we’ve had for 20 years. We need the help from everyone to ensure the continued success of this grant,” Tina said.

While November 15th is the official America Recycles Day, the event took place last Thursday because Tribal offices are closed on Fridays.

According to the America Recycles Day website, this day is dedicated to implementing ONE DAY to educate, ONE DAY to motivate and ONE DAY to make recycling bigger and better.

Tina explained that community members now have access to a dumpster at the Recycling Center in addition to the weekly trash pickup.

The theme of the recycling bingo centered on games that related to terms and concepts tied to the importance of why recycling matters, and everyone had an opportunity to enjoy a buffet dinner with a variety of desserts and beverages.
Tina also provided an update on the beehive project, and provided each Tribal Elder present a complimentary jar of the honey from the project.
For more information about recycling, visit www.americarecyclesday.org.